Portuguese Parliament yesterday approved a controversial bill to decriminalize euthanasia.

In the fifth attempt to approve the text of the Assembly of the Republic in Lisbon, the members of the national delegation of Portugal voted in favor of it by a clear majority, 129 votes to 81.

The first four attempts were unsuccessful, either due to a veto by President Marcelo Ebelo de Sousa or objections from the Constitutional Court.

According to the Constitution, the head of state must approve the bill in order for it to enter into force within eight days after it is submitted to the president.

The text has changed several times.

Euthanasia is a criminal offense in most EU member states and carries harsh prison terms. In 2021, Spain became only the fourth country to decriminalize it, after the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.

Prime Minister Antonio Costa’s centre-left government submitted an initial bill to the Portuguese parliament three years ago. At the time, most MPs from the main opposition party, the centre-right SDP, and many MPs from the far-right populist party Chega opposed decriminalization, despite the strict conditions it came with.

Mr. Costa’s Socialist Party (PS) has repeatedly stressed that the bill aims to offer “freedom and dignity” to people who are suffering, in great pain due to illness and want to end their lives.

The opposition demanded a referendum in a country where the majority of citizens are devout Catholics.

Mr Ebelu de Souza, who says he is deeply religious, has repeatedly spoken out against the bill but says he will not impose his point of view. When he vetoed it, he cited “ambiguity” in the text.

^{Source: APE – MEB, dpa}